Detroit Pistons

A disappointing 2022-23 season for the Detroit Pistons continued lottery night as the team fell out of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes, dropping four spots in the draft. The Pistons were positioned atop the lottery board after finishing 17-65, the second worst record in franchise history. A contributing factor to the poor play was a high injury total.  Franchise player Cade Cunningham developed a stress fracture in his left tibia in the early portions of the season and eventually underwent surgery to address the problem, missing 70 games in the process. In the end the Pistons finished with a league worst 296 games lost to injury. However, there is some reason for optimism. The team led the league in games lost to bone-related injuries with 34 percent of the games lost attributed to these types of injuries. Fortunately, bone-related issues frequently heal better than soft tissues injuries with bone tissue often returning to its pre-injury strength. Return to play rates for injuries like Cunningham’s are also high with most players returning to their prior levels of play.